1) I live in st louis, and was considering the (2 hour?) drive there myself. So it's atleast worth it to me.
2) If you want technical, just drive a couple miles further and you'll be in chadwick. That's totally worth it imo.

Although you might be just as close to any number of good appalachian trails so that's something to consider.

EDIT
3) Also, you could make some short stops to any number of good trails here in st louis like castlewood, klondike, greensfelder and chubb along the way. That's a big plus.

It's absolutely worth the drive. The one thing about the Berryman and other trails in the area is there usually is no fresh water along the trail. Either stash at one of the numerous gravel roads or bring along water or a filter.

There are other trails also in the area worth the drive.

Middle Fork which you can ride as a loop.

Council Bluff Lake which is real close to the Middle Fork where you can camp.

You could stay at Brushy Creek Lodge and they will haul you out to your desired ride miles on part of the Ozark Trail where you can ride back which is good. It is fairly remote in the Ozarks so be prepared for flats or slashed tires from the rocks.

I will be camping at the Berryman Campground Saturday and riding Sunday around 10:00 if you're interested. May have a couple folks joining or it may just be me on Sunday, unsure at this point. Either way, I will be riding!

Have fun out there. Remember it is the beginning of hunting season, so a cheap hunters orange vest may not be a bad idea. If you want a post ride brew and a warm fire afterwards feel free ride over, we'll probably be the only car at the campground.

I've only ever ridden it clockwise. The first half is a blast, some relatively new and flowy stuff in there, used to beat you up pretty bad, much improved. I'd like to hear what someone who's ridden it the other way thinks.

Start at Brazil and go Clockwise, that way you come through the creek crossing at the very end of your ride. This is especially important during winter and spring when it is cold outside, nobody likes frozen feet!

The trail has been re-routed at Brazil Creek and you don't have to go through the creek or those super tight, rutted out switchbacks anymore. After the first right hand switchback you go straight for a bit on some new trail then around the creek to pop out onto to the road and cross it. At least that's what we did for the Epic in October but yeah, that's as good a place as any to start.

I always start at Berryman campground trailhead off of Hwy 8 and go clockwise.. Those new recent re-routes are awesome.. Ole Berryman has been getting lots of much needed attention by a bunch of great volunteers... God I love that trail.... I think I might go ride it in the morning..

I always rode it clockwise from the main Berryman campground. Brazil creek is where all the horse trailers and equestrians gather and it never seemed as clean to me due to all the horse crap. Maybe it was all in my mind who knows. Great trail though, thats for sure.

Great ride today

We had about 30-40 people down there today for a ride, the trail is in great shape. Last time I was there I rode it on a hardtail. FS is much better. 26 miles overall. Great job by the trail builders to get this trail back in shape.

We rode it clockwise but I cant recall where we started. We started at the bottom of our map! As if that helps. Anyway...we had a good time riding it. All FS 26'ers with 5" on both ends. The coolest part was when a buck at full sprint came charging down the hill and crossed between our first and second rider. Must have scared him up from his morning nap. Good trail, wouldnt make a 5.5hr drive to do it again though but all three of us were glad we did it.

We rode it clockwise but I cant recall where we started. We started at the bottom of our map! As if that helps. Anyway...we had a good time riding it. All FS 26'ers with 5" on both ends. The coolest part was when a buck at full sprint came charging down the hill and crossed between our first and second rider. Must have scared him up from his morning nap. Good trail, wouldnt make a 5.5hr drive to do it again though but all three of us were glad we did it.